No. 20 Women's Soccer Defeats No. 24 Bendedictine

Atchison, Kan., (Oct. 28, 2023)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's soccer teams traveled to Atchison, Kan., to close out play in the Heart of America Athletic Conference with a doubleheader against Benedictine (Kan.).  In a Nationally ranked women's game, the No. 20 Vikings earned a 2-1 victory over the No. 24 Ravens.  The No. 13 men's team suffered a late 1-0 defeat.

The women's game started with early chances created by Missouri Valley.  Sophomore Forward Viktoria Einsbor (Havdrup, Denmark) put a shot on goal with just over one minute played that was saved.  Two minutes later, Sophomore Forward Ashley Arribas (Lake Forest, Calif.) was put on goal with a through-ball from Einsbor, and sent MVC in front with a goal to make it a 1-0 score.  Benedictine responded quickly after the restart, and put its first shot on goal, which was saved by Freshman Goalkeeper Lola Benitez (Madrid, Spain).  Einsbor came close to extending the advantage, but her shot was saved near the 10-minute mark.  The two teams traded possession over the next stretch of play.  Sophomore Defender Marta Carrasco Mesa (Sevilla, Spain) had the next shot on goal in the contest, coming just past the midway point of the half, but could not add to the lead.  Both teams struggled to create chances in the closing minutes of the first half, and MVC went into the break with a 1-0 lead.

The first chance on goal in the second half came with 10 minutes played, and Benitez made the save on the Benedictine shot.  Less than one minute later, Sophomore Midfielder Carla Carmona (Barcelona, Spain) set up Arribas with another opportunity, and Arribas scored one again, sending the advantage to 2-0.  Benitez was called on for another save near the 63- minute mark.  The Ravens continued to apply pressure, and eventually cut the deficit in half with a goal five minutes later to make it a 2-1 score.  Benitez needed to make one more save in the final stretch of play, and the Vikings finished out a 2-1 victory.

Arribas now has 15 goals on the season, and seven game-winning goals, both team-highs.  She has scored in eight-straight games, and scored multiple goals in three of the past four games.  Einsbor added her third assist, and Carmona tacked on her fifth assist.  Benitez made four saves.  The Vikings held an 11-8 advantage in shots and created four corner kicks.

Missouri Valley improves to 11-4-2 overall and 10-1 in the Heart.  Benedictine drops to 11-3-4 on the season and 6-2-3 in the conference.

Up next, the Viking women's soccer team hosts No. 18 Oklahoma Wesleyan Tuesday at 4 p.m., inside Volney C. Ashford Stadium.  The men's team travels to Bartlesville, Okla., to play No. 8 Oklahoma Wesleyan, Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Box Score-Click Here 

ABOUT MISSOURI VALLEY COLLEGE

Known for its dynamic, richly diverse, and friendly educational environment, Missouri Valley College offers many opportunities to grow in mind, body, and spirit. Grounded in the liberal arts, undergraduate studies empower students to master interdisciplinary skills needed to succeed in a knowledge-based global society. MVC offers over 30 academic programs, study abroad program, extracurricular activities, and a wide variety of sports. The most popular majors include education and business, criminal justice and exercise science. Above all, Valley is committed to student success. For more information, call (660) 831-4000 or visit www.moval.edu.